The queen shot her a look. “Ana, it is not appropriate for you to be here while we discuss—”
“My virginity?” she interrupted. “I am the only person here who is appropriate to discuss it, Your Majesty.”
“Ana,” her mother said sharply, the warning imbued in her tone and the flash of her eyes made Ana even more resolute to stay. But then the king spoke.
“Wait in your chambers, Ana,” he rumbled. “You will be addressed separately.”
Ana wanted to scream at him, to demand that he tell her she would not be given up, but the sudden tears that threatened clogged her throat. They were going to make this decision about her and she didn’t even have a say. The injustice of it was too much, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to speak without sobbing. So she pressed her lips together and rose, avoiding everyone’s eyes as she made her way out of the hall.
3
Ana paced in her bedroom, waiting for her father to come and speak to her. Hours had passed but she hadn’t undressed since the court assembly. Milly had arrived to assist her, but Ana sent her away. She’d tried hard to ignore the looks of pity she’d seen on her way back to her quarters—everyone was clearly talking about the hearing, and although Milly didn’t act differently, she would have heard it all. It had been drilled into Ana that royalty didn’t bow to scrutiny or pressure. The monarch had to be dependable and unflinching in times of distress. So she held her chin up and avoided as much eye contact as possible in the corridors, but in the privacy of her own quarters, she didn’t want to pretend.
Her mind replayed everything said at the hearing, thinking through all possible arguments and options that would save her from the outlaw. She’d studied a wide range of topics, even the modern history of Allandis, and read almost every book in the royal library, which was the most extensive in the kingdom. Ana spent as much time there as she could, sometimes to research for her studies, other times, like this morning, it was for the pure pleasure of reading and getting lost in the excitement of adventures she’d never have. Surely she could think of something? But the more she tried to find a solution, the more frustrated she became. Clenching her fists, she swore loud and hard, and immediately felt better. Reluctantly, she began to nibble from the platter of food Milly had brought for her.
It was another hour before her door opened and her mother step through, still in her court wear. Although the queen was always composed, with an amenable smile, she wasn’t able to hide the worry in her eyes this time.
“So Father is really going to let him have me?” Ana blurted out, her horror erupting.
“It’s not like that, Ana.” She spoke carefully. “There is more going on here.”
“Like what?” Ana cried. “What is so important that I have to suffer him for three nights?”
“Calm down,” her mother said sharply.
Ana clamped her mouth shut and forced the horror back down, her breathing heavy until she calmed.
“Where is Millicent?” her mother asked looking around. “You shouldn’t be in here on your own with your thoughts.”
Ana’s mouth tightened. “I sent her away. I don’t want to have to pretend to be all right about this in front of anyone.”
The queen sighed. She sat down on Ana’s bed and patted the space next to her. “There is nothing more important to your father than you, you must know that, Ana,” she said softly as Ana sat down. “He suffers greatly at the thought of you being involved at all. But the Royal Promise is of great magnitude to the rest of the kingdom. It has never been broken, and cannot be twisted or modified to circumvent what a non-royal is owed. The Allandis people hold it in high regard because it is the only time where a royal is beholden to a commoner, even the ruling family, like us. If it is known that we broke that promise, it could have disastrous repercussions across the kingdom.”
Ana swallowed, trying to stay calm. “And is it really applicable here?”
“The Royal Promise is awarded to anyone who saves the king’s life. In this instance, there is no doubt that your father is alive because of the intervention received in the ambush. That was never a secret.”
Ana clenched her jaw. It had clearly been a secret from her. “But was it really the outlaw? Could he be lying?”
“The men who attacked your father wore an insignia that is not formally recognized in this kingdom. It seems they may have been sent from outside Allandis to assassinate him,” her mother said quietly. “But the examination of the outlaw’s rag confirmed it was saturated with your father’s blood, and it matches the other piece your father had with him when he was brought back to the palace.”
Ana stared at her. “No,” she whispered.
The queen’s mouth twisted. “I don’t want it to be true either. But it was pointed out after you left today that no one else has come to claim any reward for saving him these past four weeks. Your father thought the man had been one of his guards who’d died.” She sighed. “It is unlikely that anyone would avoid claiming the Royal Promise.”
“Then why did he wait so long?” Ana scowled.
“Probably so that your father would recover and be of sound mind to award him what he wanted.”
Ana lowered her gaze, blinking as she tried to understand it all. “But the Royal Promise doesn’t mean he can ask for whatever he wants, does it?”
“Normally, no. Only if the ruling king’s life is saved, can the claimant ask for anything at all.”
Ana squeezed her fists tight in her lap. “It’s a stupid rule.”
“It is. We have just been examining it for the last few hours, and it is very clear on this point. This is why the commoners like it so much, and why all ruling kings have very strict policies around protection and their guard training—to avoid a commoner having this kind of power.”
“He’s not just a commoner, Mother. He is an outlaw. Why can an outlaw be awarded such a powerful promise like that? It doesn’t make sense.”
“This law has been in place for a long time, Ana, with only one previous recipient. Outlaws like Maddoc didn’t exist when it was passed—the ones that were around were considered redeemable. Including outlaws and criminals as part of the promise made the crown look lenient and accepting of those who may have stumbled upon a life of crime. I doubt anyone expected a criminal as notorious as Maddoc to exist, let alone do anything of such great benefit to the kingdom.”
Ana exhaled harshly. “He could have killed Father.”
“He could have,” her mother agreed gently, taking her hand. “And that is one of the three things I want you to remember about having to deal with this situation. Your father could be dead now.”
Relief and annoyance fought for dominance in Ana’s chest. “What are the other two things?”
The queen was silent for a moment. “This situation goes beyond you, Ana. The houses will be disrupted by this. The ones who are aligned with us could withdraw their support and then we are at risk of losing our claim to rule.”
“Why would they do that?”
“You are the key to a couple of the houses gaining more power. Being betrothed to Duke Ryden ties Redcrest more closely to the crown. Your children could also then be paired with potential children from House Thorneshaw. But if you are made to lay with this disgusting excuse for an Alpha…” She shook her head and then shrugged. “This has never happened before. Prince and princesses have taken lovers before their arranged marriages in the past, yes, but never something like this. You are the kingdom’s most precious individual, and he is the noxious stain Allandis has to bear. There is no telling how the kingdom will respond. We are trying to see if this outrageous request can be carried out as privately and discreetly as possible within the palace, but as you are aware there were many people, including commoners, in the assembly hall today.”